It's not a through road, accessible only via a single branch off Jalan Damai, so there's no motor traffic on Jalan Mesra besides residents, guests and service vehicles which enhances its privacy and serenity.
Besides Jalan Damai, other roads such as Jalan Sejahtera, Jalan Aman and others run through this residential area located off the junction of Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Ampang, and behind the Double Tree Hilton Hotel, Vistal Tower, MyHabitat Condominium and others.
Despite being in a highly developed part of Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Mesra is surprisingly still rather green, or perhaps some may even say, fairly pristine.
However, there have been some bothering changes on Jalan Mesra since the late 1980s and that is the number of large double story bungalows which have apparently been abandoned and have fallen into disrepair.
In the late 1980s, this house below - i.e. No. 10 Jalan Mesra, housed the residence of the First Secretary of Information, Embassy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and part of it at the back housed the offices of the Information Department of the USSR Embassy and of the Novosti Press Agency. From here, press reports received from the Soviet Union via teleprinter were distributed to media organisations, Malaysian government agencies, other embassies and high commissions by despatch rider. The Embassy vacated No. 10 Jalan Mesra shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union and this is condition it was in on the 10th of June, 2014 or about 24 years later.
Of course, all is not so gloomy on Jalan Mesra. Directly opposite No 10's dilapidated front gate is No. 32 Jalan Mesra (the white bungalow on the left with the flag) which houses the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba and next to it - i.e. the yellow coloured bungalow which according to Google Maps, houses the Embassy of the Czech Republic.
However, if you still haven't noticed anything yet, this photo of the Czech Embassy reveals what could well be the cause of Jalan Mesra's decline as a desirable residential area.
What's that grey concrete structure you see running behind the bungalow?
Whilst this house below is still inhabited, the long grass suggests it's not well maintained and you can spot a bit of that concrete structure behind it.
Now what is that concrete structure?
Well Google Maps tells it all. It's the Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH) and you can see from the satellite picture how close it runs behind these bungalows.
Whilst the road noise from AKLEH was hardly audible or not noticeable whilst standing on Jalan Mesra itself at around 4pm before the peak period, still the proximity of AKLEH could well have contributed to the decline of Jalan Mesra as a prime residential area.
This of course raises questions as to what will be the fate especially of residences due to the proximity of the proposed Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (KIDEX), an elevated highway which will run through densely populated residential areas of Petaling Jaya.
The lessons of Jalan Mesra should serve as lessons for us.
Share this e-mail and this blog address with other concerned citizens.
NO TO KIDEX!
http://no2kidex.blogspot.com
Very relevant and well-researched article. Exactly why PJ Residents are and should continue to be vocal and putting up resistance against the Kidex skyway.
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